SANTA MARIA, Calif.- Hundreds of people came out to Santa Maria Sunday to honor the men and women who serve and have served our country.
"Sometimes you feel guilty it was your friends and not you," says Iraq Veteran, Jeffrey Suarez.
You may call Jefferey Suarez one of the lucky ones. Suarez is an Iraq Veteran who says he lost seven of his best friends during the time he served.
"It never goes away, but as long as you can talk about it that kind of pressure cooker effect comes out of your system, but the memory stays there," says Suarez.
As for the men and women who do make it back home, they are faced with another battle.
"They are reintegrating themselves in their communities, that's the bottom line they have families to feed. Although the government or local state tribal government may want to give them the best they can, the economy tells us they're going to have a difficult time," says Edgardo Cornado, a retired commander.
As many people crowded outside the Santa Maria Veterans Memorial Building to say thank you, Melissa Sobczak reminds people why we celebrate Veterans Day.
"Just really take time to honor those that are the reason why we are still here today," says Melissa Sobczak.
